MASTER YOUR SHOT: WIN £5K WITH OUR PHOTOGRAPHY TIPS

Ready to showcase your snaps in our Student Photographers of the Year comp? Get a reminder of what it’s all about, discover killer photography hacks, and master AI editing with Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom to smash the Best Use of AI category.

FLASH FOR CASH

Not like that—we’re talking Student Photographers of the Year. Just capture the perf shot—the kind that stops people in their scroll—to secure one of three £5k prizes. Here are the categories:

1. Best After Dark Shot: Capture the vibes of nighttime student life: whether it's the city lights or the intimacy of a late-night study sesh.

2. Best Use of AI, sponsored by Adobe: Tap into the power of AI to edit and enhance your snaps: remove distractions and add professional lens blurs with Lightroom, or even replace objects entirely in Photoshop.

3. Best In-Action Moment: Freeze the frame on any action-packed moment: like sport snaps from the stands or the candid chaos of campus life.

Think you've got what it takes? Submit your best snap before entries close on 23 June!

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A post shared by Finn Hanley | UK Photographer (@southoptic)

PHOTO HACKS & TRICKS

Unsure where to start? Don't worry, we've got you covered with these essential photography tips:

1. Use your phone’s power

Take advantage of some pretty cool iPhone features—like Portrait Mode, gridlines, Live Photo mode, and Burst mode—to improve your action shots and composition. More of an Android lover? Experiment with Manual Mode settings like ISO, shutter speed, and focus for more control over your snaps.

2. Keep it clean

Might sound like a no-brainer, but dirt and smudges have a real impact on the quality of your pics!

3. Master exposure

Taking pics on your smartphone? It automatically sets the focus and exposure, so you can skip this one! Photo exposure consists of aperture (lens opening), shutter speed and ISO (light sensitivity). And striking a balance between the 3 is the only way to get decent exposure with your camera. Sounds confusing? Take control of your shots with manual camera controls like exposure sliders and tap-to-focus.

4. Skip the zoom

Instead of relying on your phone or camera’s zoom, physically move closer or attach longer lenses for better quality.

5. Light it up

Shoot in well-lit environments for the best results, or experiment with artificial lighting for something more creative. Shooting at night? Slow down your shutter speed, widen your lens or take advantage of evening lighting (think: streetlamps, torches and moonlight).

GET EDITING WITH ADOBE

Adobe Creative Cloud offers powerful editing tools, and as a student and UNiDAYS member, you can snap up a 65% discount and a 7-day free trial.

Got an almost perfect shot? Dw, it can be fixed! Polish up your pic using the power of AI—and here's what you can do with Adobe's power duo of photo editing software:

1. Lightroom

Introducing the Swiss Army knife of photo editing—versatile, easy to get started with and available on desktop, web and mobile:

Import your image and line it up with the Straightening tool—nobody wants a wonky horizon.

Unwanted elements ruining your shot? Remove spots, glasses, glares and more with the Healing Brush.

Need to tweak the sky or brighten a face without ruining the rest? Lightroom’s AI-powered masks have got you!

Apply lens blur to intensify parts of your pic—adjust the amount yourself or let Lightroom take the wheel.

Correct certain colours without having to change everything—tweak hue, saturation and luminance with Point Colour.

Don’t let bad lighting ruin your shot with the Denoise feature (powered by AI), perfect for sunset snaps, city nights or late-night parties.

2. Photoshop

It’s flexible, powerful and super smart. Here are some beginner-friendly tips for creating and adapting your images:

Open your image or import directly from Lightroom, your files will be synced across apps so you can edit with ease.

Pic not the right size? No probs. Use Generative Expand to instantly resize any image and fill the empty space with content that blends perfectly.

Took the best pic ever, but there’s someone in the way? Remove unwanted objects effortlessly—brush over with the Remove tool and bam it’s gone!

Make complex edits in a flash with Generative Fill and use simple text prompts to add or remove content.

What are you waiting for? Grab your camera (or smartphone) and start shooting! Spice up your IG and win £5k by capturing nighttime shots, getting creative with AI, or snapping up the action... Good luck, and may the best shot win!